Cultivating Belonging for Latinx Students in Suburban Schools (Poster 34)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 3:20 p.m.
  In Invited Poster Session: 2025 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair

Abstract

Research highlights the positive impact of Latinx educators’ culturally relevant teaching practices for Latinx students. However, they remain underrepresented in education. Much of what is known about them comes from research in urban schools. This qualitative study builds upon existing literature by widening the focus to include Latinx educators working in suburban schools. It asks: How do suburban Latinx educators make sense of their efforts to support Latinx students in and out of the classroom? Data collection entailed semi-structured interviews with 11 suburban high school educators outside of Chicago, Illinois. Employing Critical Race Theory (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), this study makes sense of Latinx educators' experiences by framing their narratives as counterstories. While this data is part of a larger study, this investigation explored how Latinx educators’ goals and practices were shaped by their cultural and linguistic identities. The findings highlight how participants worked to create and sustain nourishing spaces and conexiones (connections) to support their Latinx students’ sense of belonging. To accomplish this work, participants spoke about how they channeled their cultural knowledge and indignation towards injustice to guide their goals. The findings point to a need to further understand the types of support Latinx educators need to thrive and the assets they bring to their work in demographically changing suburban schools.

Author

• Julissa Carreno, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign